Baby exerciser



W. P.. WILLIAMS ET AL BABY EXERCISER Oct. 13, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 12, 1949 .Zizvemior Oct. 13, 1953 w. P. WILLIAMS 'ET AL BABY EXERCISER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 12, 1949 Va 0213 AM Patented Oct. 13, 1953 BABY EXERGISER Walter P. Williams and Mildred D.

Minneapolis, Minn.

Williams,

Application September 12, 1949, Serial No. 115,154

This invention relates to exercisers for babies.

In the past, there has always been considerable danger connected with baby exercisers. The baby is apt to tip over the platform type of exerciser, and to fall out of the suspension type of exerciser. The purpose of most exercisers is to permit the child to jump up and down, and thus entertain himself; however, the child has, prior to our invention, always been placed in a sitting position, with his legs extended out in front, a situation which makes it very difficult for any child to jump.

It is an object of our invention to provide a novel and improved baby exerciser which positively positions a child therein with his feet and legs permitted to extend substantially straight downwardly to facilitate jumping, and constructed to limit the tipping thereof and prevent overturning to substantially eliminate the danger of the child falling out of the exerciser.

Another object is to provide an exerciser adapted to support the child placed therein in forward position to facilitate jumping, and adapted to also hold the child in the exerciser.

More specifically, it is an object of our invention to provide a baby exerciser having a front and back panel, with only a flexible connection therebetween to prevent pressure against the front panel from swinging the back panel upwardly, and providing a positive positioning of the child within the exerciser and, by providing openings in the bottom portion of the exerciser, permitting the childs legs to extend substantially straight downwardly to facilitate jumping.

These and other objects and advantages of our invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views, and in which-'-- Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing the exerciser in operative position and having a child in jumping position therein;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the body portion of the exerciser;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the body;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the body showing the retaining strap in dotted lines;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational View;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the pattern for the material from which the body is formed.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, we

3 Claims. (01.155-20) provide a baby'exerciser, the body of which, in the form shown, is made substantially entirely from a single piece of flexible sheet material, such as the canvas sheet -I ll illustrated in Fig. 7. This sheet is cut to form a front portion H, a diminished crotch portion :2, a seat portion l3, and a back portion 14, which has the two side portions 15 integrally formed therewith. A pair of darts it are formed at the rear portion of the seat to provide additional fullness and curvature in the body when sewed together to permit the seat to' fit the baby and prevent any sliding from side to side.

When the front edge portions lea of the sides 15 are sewed to the side edge portions Ha of the front portion It, the leg openings ll are formed on each side of the crotch I2. The rear portions of these openings ll are formed by the concavely curved edge portions lid of the seat it, as best shown in Figs. 2 through 5, inclusive. Most of the weight of the child within the exerciser is, of course, supported by the seat portion 13 and this concave curvature prevents the rear edges of the leg openings I! from cutting into the legs of the child. The front portion of the openings I? is cut away so as to provide ample freedom of movement of the childs legs during the jumping without binding the inner or upper portions of the thighs.

The upper material edge portion of the front portion 1 l is doubled back upon itself and a relatively long, stiff, member having a tapered crosssectional shape, as best shown in Fig. 6, is inserted between the overlapped portion to provide a stiff, flat, member against which the child may lean and which will support the front portion of the exerciser body. The overlapped marginal edge is sewed along the dotted line no, as best shown in Fig. '7, to retain the board 18. The marginal edge portion of the back portion [4 is also doubled back upon itself and a rigid member I9 similar to the front member I8 is interposed between the overlapped portions and retained therein as by being sewed along the line 140.. This member I9 is somewhat shorter than the member l8, but serves to support the back portion M of the body I0. In the form shown, the upper marginal edge portions of the side portions 15 are also doubled back upon themselves, but are not sewed and only provide reinforcement. There is no rigid connection between the front portion I l and the back portion 14, but only the flexible connection formed by the side portions l5.

Any suitable means for supporting the body 10 may be provided, such as the four hanger assuage straps 20 which are connected at the respective shaped to conform to the body of a user and corners thereof as by being looped around the having a pair of leg openings in the lower porrespective end portions of the members l8 and tion thereof, a back portion connected to the rear [9. The front portions H and II have considportion of said seat and extending upwardly erable reinforcing, such as the grommets 2! intherefrom, a front portion connected to the front serted therein to receive the respective straps 20. of said seat and the upper portion thereof hav- The upper ends of the straps may be coning only flexible connection with the upper pornected to a suitable resilient supporting element, tion of said back portion, a pair of relatively stifl such as :the spring? sshown ml-Pig. l; which :reiriforcemerit and supp'otting members respecme-y b pp e from ny suitable structure, lo 'tively "mounted in substantially fixed relation such as a doorframe in a house, as by the Straps across the upper portions of only the front and 23, or the like. back portions and adapted to be connected to To adjust the exerciser for operation, the ii, b1e supporting means. height of the body above the floor should be 2, In a childs exerciser, a body comprising a positioned to permit the child s toestoijustttouch 3.15 seatgaortion'havine a p ir of leg openings formed the fiOOr w n in t t y position Suspended inthe lower portion thereof, a pair of darts by the resilient Sp W S p l d-hY formertattthe respective rear side portions of said h Spring the exercise! Permits the child's seat and extending inwardly from the respective legs to extend substantially straight downwariily 'rear pottions of the leg openings to provide a in order to facilitate his jumping, and the leg 20 generally curved shapeat the rear of said seat openin s e i d tozpermitfree movement .torconform-tocthezshape idf'asthe childfs:hody.and

O the-legs withoutihindingor chafing the-th hs :preventlateralrshifting: movement thereofwhen .of the child. The .dartsl lfi provide a curvedfull- 5 upp11te therejn;yan upstanding backpanel conness in the seat 14 which afitstthe shod-y 0f the :nectedratztherrear ofssaidrseatiand extendinguipch prevents side shiftingmovemen W t 2 wvardly :therefrom, a front rpanelzconnected-vat :the exerciser. The-stiff members Ill-and i9 re :the :front-zofxsaid sseatrand :extending-npwardly Speefively melmted i 't re he theek 11 itherefrom forwardly ,zspaced relation ;from tions H and M form suitable'reinforcement for ,safdmgmk tpair g m the respective from and heel; Panels, the iporting :members respectively :mounted ;in the front memb r l3 provides a support --a mpper portions' ofsaid frontaand back-.panels,.said

which th ehildimeyilean While Jumping. The ;members being constrncterl of relatively stiffrmafact that the front member, i-Band'the backzmemterial and being adapted torhezccnnected'to- -suit her [9 are connected only by the fleXible Sides :ablessupporting rmeans, :flexible fmeans .at the i5 ip et against the from member sides not-saidipanelszfonningztheisole means:for 18 om ing he exerciser and raisin t iinterconnectingithezirpper portions :thereof, :and :member 19, and substantially zeliminates the :meansmgnnected withisaid reinfqrcingand supdanger of the'child fallingbu or -tipp n Over porting-:members ;for;:normally rresiliently s-lsup- .the exerciser. In the formshownpa ine :portingsaid zexerciseribodyin normallyzspaced strap 24 has its medial portion :sewed 'to the elation togthe jfiuor,

inside o the om P e d theiendipertiens 3. The .:structure sset -forth -in :claim :2 and 1a 'th e a p to tied'ereund t 'b dy e :retaining strapzconnected to thefrontxreinforcthe child to hold the childagainstthefrontpanel 1mg ;;and ;supporting "member t rr d :t to. p vid ad t a pp txt melyiy ns :childfs podmnd ositivdy holdwthechilds .abdochildren and toinsure .a secure attachment of memagainstzsaidffront membep a,ndrc mbine-.wj th the c ild 30 t y 0f the reX-ereiSeT- thenurvature :of :the :seatto positively position .It will be seen that wexhave tprovidedea novel ith himm rightjposition.in the exerciserbody.

.and extremely safe .childis exerciser, which; per- WALTER --P.

-mits unusual freedom for -jumping action and MILDRED D,

prevents the child from falling out during :said jumping. The designuflthe1eg=openings i'lgper-rfio References Cited .thexfileof thispatent emits freedom for leg movement :and positively UNITED'STATES PATENTS -prevents any-binding or chafing on-the-.thighs-rof J the-child. Number Name I Date 1; 111, of tcourse be understood that-various 955 g' -25 9 changes may-be'madefiln the form, .details,+ar-;E 5 3 3 ,Hawk l rangement ,andyproportionsbf 'the parts without 7 F "F .depar.tingfrom the-scopeofnur invention. $238,693 l h 28, 7 What Weflaim l fifli i'lti Schnerdau Novrtz, 1926 1.;A-chi1ds exerciser havingiin combination 41613'6547 'Hawkms body, said body comprising a. seat ,-portion.sfl0 2378;004 Nev/en Aug-731949 

